When you are buying or selling a home, it is important to know the age and condition of your roof. At these times a roofing inspection is crucial, but it may also be important at any time to know the condition of your roof so that you can better understand when it may need repair or replacement. A roof inspection may be a valuable thing to have performed every few years throughout the lifespan of your roof.

What is a roof inspection?

A roof inspection is a way of determining the level of wear and tear on a roof, how much life it has left in it, and if there is a need for repair currently or soon in the future. Roof inspections involve looking for signs that indicate the wear on shingles and other roofing materials. A roof inspector does not need to remove any part of your roof. They are trained to correctly assess the lifespan of the roof visually. When a roof inspector cannot physically get to a place on your roof, they may use binoculars instead.

A roof inspection also involves looking at your chimney and the flashing that surrounds it to assess the level of wear, examining gutters, downspouts, and anything else that attaches to the roof.

Most roof inspectors will have a flat rate that they charge for a standard inspection, but that rate may fluctuate depending on the size of your home, slope of your roof, or type of roof you have.

Infrared Roof Inspection

Infrared roof inspections are used when an inspector cannot access the roof. In these cases they don't even have to touch the surface to determine a roof's integrity.

Infrared rays are used to assess the higher and lower temperatures of different parts of the roof. This helps to determine if heat is escaping in some areas more than others. This would indicate wear and weakness in that portion of the room. Infrared roof inspections may be priced differently than a standard roof inspection.

Inspection Types

Different roofing materials have different issues. Wooden shingles should be inspected for rot. Metal roofs should be inspected for rust. Fiberglass shingle should be inspected for cracks. Also in different climates shingles should be inspected for blow offs, tearing and moisture damage. It is important to get a roofing inspector experienced with inspections in your specific locale and for your specific type of roof. The cost for your roof inspection may vary based on the expertise needed for a given type of roof.